Dodgers 5, Astros 1: James Loney and Matt Kemp homered and Clayton Kershaw earned his first win as the Dodgers improved to a National League-best 12-3.
After Loney hit a solo homer in the second inning, Kemp crushed a two-run shot with two outs in the sixth for his ninth home run.
Kershaw (1-0) struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with two walks on 104 pitches.
Kemp is the fastest Dodger ever to reach nine homers, and he has seven home runs in his last eight games. He’s batting .474 with 22 RBIs while hitting safely in 10 straight games.
Loney, a Houston native, homered with two outs in the second inning off Kyle Weiland (0-3), who failed to record his first major league win despite throwing seven strong innings.
The Dodgers added two insurance runs in the eighth inning on Andre Ethier’s two-out single off David Carpenter, giving him 21 RBIs.
Houston scored its lone run in the eighth inning
when J.D. Martinez walked with the bases loaded, but Kenley Jansen retired Carlos
Lee and Jed Lowrie to end the threat.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Dodgers infielder Juan Uribe, out
since Tuesday with a sore wrist, is expected to start on Sunday ... Astros
center fielder Jordan Schafer has reached base safely in
15 straight games … Dee Gordon returned to the lineup after sitting out Friday’s
game and went 3-for-4 … The Dodgers have won six straight against the Astros.
LA Dodgers | Houston | |
Clayton Kershaw | Player | Kyle Weiland |
Win | W/L | Loss |
7.0 | IP | 7.0 |
9 | Strikeouts | 6 |
3 | Hits | 6 |
0.00 | ERA | 3.86 |
LA Dodgers | Houston | |
Dee Gordon | Player | Justin Maxwell |
3 | Hits | 1 |
0 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
4 | TB | 1 |
.750 | Avg | 1.000 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
LA Dodgers | 8 | 2 | 16 | .258 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Houston | 4 | 0 | 5 | .133 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 |